


Excerpts from a popular history of Remalna

by Laughing_Phoenix



Category: Crown Duel - Sherwood Smith
Genre: Court Drama, Epistolary, F/M, Spies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28142472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laughing_Phoenix/pseuds/Laughing_Phoenix
Summary: Selections from the best-selling book, Partners, Lovers, Rulers: Commentaries on the reign of King Vidanric and Queen Meliara.
Relationships: Meliara Astiar/Vidanric Renselaeus
Comments: 19
Kudos: 29
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Excerpts from a popular history of Remalna

**Author's Note:**

  * For [astraev](https://archiveofourown.org/users/astraev/gifts).



_Their majesties Vidanric and Meliara were prolific letter-writers, frequently writing to each other even when in residence at the palace together. Their habit of writing to each other began before their marriage, and indeed, from Her Majesty’s own records of the period, much of their courtship occurred by letter. Most of these letters were preserved, giving a remarkable look at the many facets of their relationship: for example, their Majesties were deeply in love, and this is at times embarrassingly evident from their correspondence. However, despite the strength of their relationship and their staunch unity in public, they could and did disagree on the best way to manage certain aspects of their reign, and often debated their perspectives in the same letters that they used to express their love for each other._

_The original letters are kept in careful storage in the Royal Library of Athanarel, and some have been lost to time, but the Fellowship of the Tower has preserved much of their content. Unless noted otherwise, I refer to the Fellowship’s records._

_This exchange began three days after King Vidanric’s birthday party, at which Queen Meliara first publicly demonstrated her aptitude for magic._

Vidanric,

I have come to the conclusion that, if I am to expand my studies of magic - and thus my collection of books about magecraft - I shall have to find more space in which to put them all. My small assortment is already overflowing its space, and I find myself once again bitterly rueing my father’s decision to burn my mother’s library. I can only imagine the collection she might have amassed from Eidervaen, and how much easier my studies might have been, were I able to simply visit Erkan-Astiar and consult them. 

As wishing won’t reverse Papa’s deed, I shall have to make my own arrangements, including for storage. There’s likely an alcove not currently in use.

On a separate note, a missive from Queen Yustnesveas Lantis has arrived, and we shall have to find time to discuss the matter before the details come up in court, as she has proposed some adjustments to the standing trade agreements.

-  
Mel,

I rather suspect that we can do better than an alcove for a queen’s personal collection. There are several half-empty archives, or archives that can be rearranged. If memory serves, there is one not far from where Flauvic’s books are stored. Unless there is a reason too many books on sorcery should not be stored together - and you would know better than I, my dear - that might suit, being a location that is already secured.

As regards her Majesty Queen Yustnesveas Lantis and her suggestions, to me they seem largely reasonable, but I would hear your thoughts on the proposed tariff adjustments on luxury textile imports. Given the prominent way you have marked that line, it seems you have seen something I missed.

-  
Vidanric,

The tariff she proposes involves quantities that seem odd to me. So much for the bolt, slight discounts per measure for the bale - even when furnishing a castle, a body is hard-pressed to make use of these quantities. The only buyer I can think of that would get full benefit from these would be a guild. Have there been changes I’ve missed?

As for the books, if you can point me in the direction of the archive you were thinking of, I’ll have them moved today.

_

_History tells us that the early years of a new dynasty are frequently full of upsets, ranging from relatively minor diplomatic imbroglios to insurrection to outright war. By many standards, Vidanric and Meliara’s reign was uncommonly peaceful when compared to other new dynasties, though this may be as much a reflection of the previous regime’s marked unpopularity as anything else. That said, when a country is undergoing a period of change, other countries may attempt to take advantage - and a reigning monarch’s new foray into magic or the impending birth of an heir are both significant changes. These letters date nearly two months after the previously referenced._

Mel,

It’s likely that I will be late for dinner, if not miss it entirely - the discussion of the trade agreement with Colend was abandoned when we received a report that mercenaries from Denlieff were found harassing a village at least three day’s march from the northeastern border. From the report, the mercenaries claim to have been lost. It may be necessary to ride out to deal with this. I will send word when I know more.

_

Vidanric,

I’ve had your traveling gear packed, it’s waiting for you when you need it. It was tempting to prepare my own - now that the news about his or her soon-to-arrive highness is official, there is no end of people fluttering about to pry and offer their opinions, whether I want them or not. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m still spending my half the day fighting the urge to be sick, I’d ride out now and leave you to deal with the flock of advice-givers.

Leave me your notes on the Colend agreement, I’ll deal with that while you deal with the mercenaries.

_

My dear Meliara,

I have absolutely no doubt that you would make short work of the mercenaries yourself, and upset the delicate sensibilities of half of the court in the process. I’m almost tempted to leave the mercenaries to you.

_

Vidanric

Unfortunately for you, your child will not give my stomach a day’s rest, so you’ll have to deal with this one yourself.

_

Meliara,

Barely a day since we arrived in this village and I find myself wondering if this is a problem you would be better-equipped to solve after all. The harps of the Hill Folk were audible from a day’s ride away. Upon interrogation, it was determined that the mercenary band did not merely stumble upon the village - rather, they were driven to it. Indeed, interrogation was barely needed, the man is shaken and only too eager to unburden himself. His tale is one of watchers in the dark, supplies going missing, and noises that make it impossible to sleep. In short, they were driven into a state of paranoia. While the tale he spun of crossing the borders on accident is clearly not worth the paper I write to you on, the rest of his account suggests that the Hill Folk appreciate the presence of Denlieff mercenaries as little as we do.

Interrogation of other members of the band proved somewhat more fruitful - they corroborate the tale their captain spun of being herded to the village by forces they could not identify. As for their presence on this side of the border, we were treated to several conflicting tales, but I suspect the closest to the truth is one we obtained from the cook: they had learned that there was a trick to harvesting colortrees without the interference of the Hill Folk. It appears that word has spread beyond Arthar Merindar’s hired forces.

_

Vidanric,

I have found a new use for Flauvic Merindar - if I need to go yell at someone, he is both conveniently located and unable to argue back. 

_

_Denlieff mercenaries infamously made up the bulk of the Marquise of Merindar’s forces in her attempted coup against the not-yet-crowned King Vidanric. Their pay was to be colortrees, harvested after massacring the Hill Folk with kinthus smoke, and despite the failure of the Marquise’s hired forces, word about the danger kinthus poses to the Hill Folk had spread. The initial years of King Vidanric and Queen Meliara’s reign would include multiple incidents of attempted kinthus-burning, ranging from individuals to large-scale, organized operations. Queen Meliara’s childhood in Tlanth had included regular trips into the mountainside to interact with the Hill Folk, and she was more familiar with them than King Vidanric, though in her writings she argues that it is impossible to know the Hill Folk. She took attempts to break the Covenant particularly poorly, and was arguably the driving force behind several programs to remove or restrict kinthus to specific areas where it could not cause the Hill Folk harm._

_Nor were roaming would-be Covenant breakers the only threat the royal couple faced that year. The following letters date from early winter._

Vidanric,

Is there any reason beyond tradition that we cannot make Savona host the celebrations for the New Year? I had thought it would take borrowing your parents’ steward to ensure all the preparations came together, but staring at the lists sitting on my desk I am beginning to suspect it would take two of him to complete the task.

_

Meliara,

I have utilized Savona as a runner so that he might be conveniently at hand for you - simply hand him the tasks that need completing and let him see to it. Please take the afternoon to rest.

_

Vidanric,

I would write something sharp about not being made of glass, but preparations have been enough of a headache that I’ll let it pass. Savona has been put in charge of arranging food, decorations, and some of the entertainment. Unfortunately, I can’t place it all in his hands, as I had plans for another magic demonstration, and planning for that will require my involvement. I need to consult some of the texts in my archive - if I haven’t surfaced by second-green, send someone to fetch me.

_

Meliara,

You lie sleeping in our bed, across the room, and I can barely bring myself to look away long enough to write. When you did not return by second-green I sent a runner, and they found you just inside the door to your collection of magic books, unconscious on the floor. You could not be woken.

The healer has been and gone. They suspect a drug or a spell, rather than simple exhaustion. It is at this point a waiting game, for many of the quicker remedies are not recommended for an expecting mother. And so I sit here, waiting for you to wake. I do not remember when I was last this frightened.

_

_Queen Meliara spent two days unconscious, and another week deeply fatigued, largely resting in the private spaces of the royal residence. The attack on her was kept secret, and the official story was that King Vidanric had begged her to take time to rest, for the sake of her health. By this time her pregnancy was readily apparent, even in the elaborate fashions of formal Court dress. Popular imagination painted her as indefatigable (an impression that had a fair bit of truth to it) and it was easy to believe that her first pregnancy was tiring her._

Vidanric,

I have cudgeled my brain to remember exactly what happened before I lost consciousness, but my memory is failing me. The door to my collection was locked when I arrived, and my time studying was uneventful, I recall that much. When I left, I walked out, I shut the door, and I turned to lock it.... I have a memory of someone standing there… perhaps my height, perhaps taller. Their clothes were a darker color, I think. There was a movement… and the next thing I recall is waking in our bed, two days later.

I am fairly certain it was a spell, whatever they did - at least, I am fairly certain that nothing was thrown at me before I collapsed, and I wasn’t touched.

_

Meliara,

I have recalled Nessaren’s riding, and plan to assign them to your protection. I know the prospect of a bodyguard is unpleasant, but for my own sanity, my love, indulge me. We have yet to identify whoever broke into the archives, and while they didn’t make it into the room containing Flauvic’s collection, they made a very determined attempt.

Savona has offered to take over the rest of the preparations for the New Years celebrations while you recover, and I am fully in favor of this. He claims Tamara has similarly offered her support. On the one hand, Tamara is a hostess with an excellent eye to decoration and organization, and may be of tremendous help. On the other, if the two of them have one of their disagreements, it may derail preparations entirely.

Might I call on the services of your goldsmith?

_

_The Duke of Savona and Lady Tamara were renowned as setters of Court taste, and for their tempestuous relationship. There is a Sartoran play from the period featuring a pair of lovers who spend their courtship verbally sparring, and it has been claimed that the lovers are based in part on Savona and Tamara. The playwright served as a diplomatic attache to the Remalnan court for a few years, and would have seen both of them._

_The goldsmith mentioned here is possibly one Azmus - he had served Queen Meliara’s father, and records of her financial transactions tell us he made the first gift she sent King Vidanric during their courtship - a ring set with ekirth and etched with laurel leaves, still in the collection of the Renseleaus family. Exactly what King Vidanric needed him for is unfortunately lost to time, but one might presume he was commissioning gifts for friends and relatives._

Vidanric,

I am tempted to apologize profusely to Nessaren and her riding - I have found myself utilizing their services as scribes or aides, and I am fairly certain that this is not what they anticipated from their careers.

I confess myself delighted by how well the New Years entertainments went under Savona’s and Tamara’s direction. Savona’s choices of performers was perfect, and Tamara outdid herself on the decorations and food. Perhaps we should delegate the organization of Court entertainments to them more often. 

It would certainly leave me more time to deal with the Sartoran embassy’s constant messages. This week alone, I have received a dozen different messages, one asking for permission for a new aide to join the delegation, at least three about diplomatic gifts, and the rest on minor points of trade and tariffs. Why these could not all be combined into a single request is beyond my understanding.

_

Mel,

The Sartoran delegation’s flood of messages continues - I have recently received a missive to the effect that one of their number must return home for a family emergency. She hopes to leave as soon as her replacement arrives, which is expected to be later in the month.

I personally have no objection to recruiting Savona and Tamara to handle entertainments in the future, but they might - more than once, both complained about working with the other. Perhaps we should reserve the option for rare events, lest Tamara relocate to Chamadis permanently?

If any of Nessaren’s warriors show an aptitude for clerical work, we might reassign them to the investigation. Your attacker remains unidentified, and we both know the value of a carefully-placed individual who can identify someone who is where they are not supposed to be.

_

Vidanric,

You make an excellent point about Savona and Tamara. And about Nessaren’s warriors, I’ll ask around to see if any might be interested.

I won’t be joining you at Court today. Before you go storming away from the lunch you’re scheduled to have with Deric Toarvendar to pester the healer - I am fine, and Jamni is overreacting. I stood up too fast and got a little dizzy. The healer says it’s to be expected at this stage, particularly if I haven’t eaten in a few hours, and nothing to worry about, but recommended an easy afternoon anyway. I may take the opportunity for a nap - I didn’t sleep particularly well last night, someone was in a mood to practice kicking on my insides. You are hereby nominated to chase after this one once he or she figures out running, they’re doing an excellent job tiring me already.

_

Mel

I look forward to my new task with great anticipation. I will stop by before Petitioner’s Court, if there is anything you would like me to bring you.

_

_King Vidanric’s excitement for the impending birth of their firstborn was common knowledge, in no small part due to his tendency to spend every minute not spoken for by the demands of the state dancing attendance on Queen Meliara. Count Branaric, Queen Meliara’s brother, wrote to his wife Nimiar to say that if he “was half as excited about Kitten [their infant daughter] as Danric is about their baby, [he was] surprised she hadn’t kicked [him] out of Tlanth,” and offered to bring her something from Remalna City as apology._

_Despite the excitement about the impending birth of a royal heir, however, the work of reigning a kingdom continued, including dealing with diplomatic incidents._

Mel,

Yet another missive from the Sartoran embassy, but an expected one: Lady Yannon has requested an audience to formally introduce her successor among the Sartoran delegation and tender her official farewells before she leaves. We had discussed this in general terms, but do you think we can host a dinner the day after tomorrow for this? 

_

Vidanric,

The spell I put on the archive to let us know if anyone was trying to enter unauthorized just went off.

_

Meliara,

I’ve dispatched warriors and am on my way.

_

Vidanric,

I was originally going to say that we could host Lady Yannon’s dinner in two days, but after all that excitement and the arrest of her aide Pescha, I suspect we will not be hosting it at all. She continues to insist she doesn’t know why any aide of hers might have been attempting to break into secured archives. She suggested once that it might be a misunderstanding, that perhaps he was lost, but has largely abandoned that idea. She has granted official permission for his belongings to be searched, which is at one less thing to complicate Remalna’s official relationship with Sartor.

_

Meliara,

I am afraid the search might have complicated things further, for among Pescha’s papers is a message including the seal of a member of the Adrani royal family. The message itself is in a cipher, and I have had it copied and sent for analysis. A copy is included here - it will be interesting to see what insight Lady Yannon has as to its presence.

_

Vidanric,

I will give Lady Yannon full credit where it is due for her control - if I hadn’t been watching her face so closely, I would never have seen her surprise at the seal. Either she had no idea, or she didn’t expect anyone to find the letter. She says it’s the former, and firmly protests that she had no idea that Pascha had any connection whatsoever to Sles Adran. Nor did she know that he had any ability to perform magic.

Here is what she does know: Pascha entered her service four years ago, and came to Remalna with her. He is distant from most of his family - he has a sister who he visited on his days off in Sartor. A relative has some minor talents in magic. Pascha handles much of the arrangements for her day-to-day affairs, but had not been with her long enough to handle anything truly sensitive.

_

Meliara,

Then it appears that Pascha has been concealing quite a lot from Lady Yannon, for he confessed to having been the one to bespell you unconscious. He was attempting to retrieve something from Flauvic’s collection that day, and didn’t have enough time to conceal himself any other way. Further questioning was forestalled - despite being searched, some sort of spell was triggered. He is unconscious, and the healer is not sure he will awaken again.

Under the circumstances, we shall have to make alternate arrangements for Lady Yannon to depart Remalna.

_

_It was to be an eventful year for their Majesties. Relations with Sartor took several more months to normalize after the discovery that a member of their ambassadorial staff had attacked Queen Meliara, even with the evidence suggesting that he had served a different master entirely. Diplomacy with Sles Adran suffered a similar setback. Early summer flooding along the Akaeriki river caused extensive damage, displacing thousands. A dry summer and autumn storms sparked fires in Savona._

_But by far the most anticipated event of that year occurred in early spring._

Vidanric,

It’s started. His-or-her-highness has decided that the time has come to grace us with their presence.

**Author's Note:**

> Dear requestor: Like you, I started in fandom years ago, but real-life commitments have kept me from participating in Yuletide for a couple of years. What a welcome back you gave me! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.


End file.
